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Culture & Creativity

We envision Madison as a center for innovation and creativity in the arts, sciences, and history.

Projects & Studies

Madison Arts Performing Arts Studies

In March of 2013, the City of Madison began a study to assess Madison's performing arts environment; including a review of the performing arts community, facilities, existing and potential audience,and funding scenarios.

Madison Cultural Plan 2013

The Madison Cultural Plan 2013 is a five-year action plan to advance Madison’s position as a center for creativity and innovation. The plan looks at the community’s arts, science, and history resources and recommends practical steps to strengthen the sector itself, to connect creative work to broader civic issues, and to increase access to creative experiences. It is about bolstering the interplay of artists, creative workers, arts and cultural institutions, and creative commercial enterprises with one another and with their consumers, donors, and investors.

Make Music Madison

Make Music Madison is an annual one-day, city-wide, free, outdoor music festival that is held on the Summer Solstice, June 21. The goal is to generate a continuous wall of music as people walk around participating spaces. "Music" is whatever live sound an individual or group wishes to produce, and whatever the hosting space accepts. The festival is open to all genres, ethnicities, styles of music, skill levels of musicians, and using public and private spaces throughout our community. The city of Madison is one of the 450 communities around the world celebrating the Summer Solstice with a music festival.

Public Art

The Madison Arts Commission (MAC) Public Art Program works with the community to support the work of artists in City of Madison facilities: the planning, design, and construction of capital projects. Through the Public Art Program, MAC facilitates and supports the work of artists to explore new ideas, foster dialog and celebrate civic life. Citizens, civic events and values are remembered and acknowledged in our public art sites. MAC is committed to strengthening the integration of public art in Madison's on-going city-building and attends to both the long term stewardship of historic works, as well as commissioning sustainably designed new works.